IVL Swedish environmental research institute is Sweden’s leading organisation for applied environmental research. We have a broad competence and cover the entire environmental field. IVL’s strength is that we pursue both research and contract assignments. We use the experiences and results gained from our research to support and strengthen our commission work, and vice versa.

Our activities are grouped into six thematic areas: Climate and energy, Sustainable building, Air and transport, Sustainable production, Resourceefficient products and waste, and Water. Other strong areas of competence outside this framework are, for example, work environment, and the extensive work done in our accredited laboratories for tests and analyses.

IVL was founded in 1966 by mutual agreement between the government and the business community. We are wholly owned by the Foundation for the Swedish Environmental Research Institute (SIVL), which has the aim to promote long-term conditions for environmental research and through ownership guarantee IVL an independent status. With more than 40 years’ experience, IVL is Sweden’s oldest environmental research institute, and we have through the years established excellent relations with authorities and the business community.

IVL receives support for research via grants from the Swedish EPA, MISTRA, the Nordic Council of Ministers and other grant awarding agencies. The in-house competence is wide, covering ecological, biological, chemical, physical, technical and socio-economic aspects of environmental issues. IVL has long and wide experience on contaminants and their behaviour in the environment and society. IVL is responsible for data storage as data manager for all national air quality data, and for data reporting to e.g. EU and CLRTAP and takes part in the EU directive work, e.g. as a co-leader in the NO2 working group. IVL is also responsible for co-ordinating the air emission inventory work in a consortium of four partners which share hosting of the Swedish emission database SMED and reporting to UNFCCC, EU and CLRTAP. IVL has long experience in research and measurements related to emissions to air from shipping. IVL has participated in a large number of EU projects within STEP, ENVIRONMENT, MAST and other programmes (IVL has coordinated e.g. MOE, NEPAP, SOCOPSE, HIPCON, TwinBas and participated in e.g. ARTEMIS, ENTEC, QUANTIFY, NITROEUROPE, EUROLIMPACS, ESPREME).